January Calendar Helps Aston Villa’s Increasing Defensive Injury Problems
Easing up to 2024
January is a great month for Aston Villa since it has just two Premier League games and one FA Cup match, which is
ideal for the club after the pressure of eight games in December. Villa will have more time to focus and address their
defensive injury issues due to the extended winter break and Unai Emery’s anticipated selection of a weaker lineup
against Middlesbrough in the cup.
Pau Torres State of Fitness
The major advantage will be Pau Torres returning to maximum health. Despite stating prior to the game that he
wasn’t 100%, Emery decided to change the Spanish player in the second half of Villa’s game against Burnley due to
their unsteady defensive play.
Pau’s injury is not serious, but he is not 100% fit to play, Emery said before adding, that we’ll wait for the next few
weeks and play with Lenglet because he can give us the performances I want.
With Lenglet certain to start against Boro, Torres will have had two weeks off following his appearance for Burnley.
Lucas Digne’s dismissal
Lucas Digne, who upped his game from the previous season, has been one of Villa’s standout performers this year.
Following his injury during the Boxing Day 3-2 loss to Manchester United, the defender is anticipated to miss the FA
Cup match as well as the trip to Everton.
“He will be absent from the team for a few weeks,” Emery stated about Digne during his pre-Burnley press conference.” After his lengthy injury, we must try to replace him with Álex Moreno. He was playing very well and was very competitive.”
“I believe that Alex is prepared, and we’re hoping that Lucas will return in 20 to 25 days.”
Moreno has undoubtedly recovered from his long-term injury at the appropriate moment and gained enough playing time to be fully functional.
On the other side, Matty Cash was suspended for the Manchester United match and was apparently absent due to illness for the Burnley encounter. If he’s fully recovered, the Middlesbrough match could be a chance to get him back into the swing of things.
Kamara’s Comeback
Boubacar Kamara’s steady presence in front of the Villa defense was much missed, and now that the midfielder has served out his three-game suspension against Burnley, Emery will surely be tempted to use him in the starting lineup against Boro, just like Cash did.
Experiencing its Effects
Perhaps Villa’s only truly convincing performance throughout their eight-game December run was their victory over Manchester City. In the end, the team performed admirably to secure three points from the games against Brentford, Arsenal, and Burnley and to steal draws from Sheffield United and Bournemouth.
Even if their efforts were hindered by exhaustion and injuries, Villa showed determination and passion.
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